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Tag Archives: “Juston Stens and The Get Real Gang”

Spring has flown by but not without dropping a pile of great shows in my lap! I talked about the wonderful LAUNCH weekend in a recent blog. I have seen plenty of other shows that I wanted to put on your radar. Three of my favorites are back in town this Saturday!

Lauren Mann and The Fairly Odd Folk will play with Canyon and The Pig Merchants this Saturday 6/1 at The Candy Factory in Lancaster. The show starts at 7pm so don’t plan on rolling in around 10. You will have missed a phenomenal night! Here’s Lauren and company tearing up DipCo to close LAUNCH!

They didn’t play LAUNCH but The Wayfarer Experiment is leading the charge as my pick for 2013 central PA band of the year. I have 6-7 Wayfarer shows under my belt already and am psyched to see them at DipCo Friday 5/31! They just released a new album and it continues their dark folk/gypsy blues saga. Friday is Bjorn’s birthday so you know this show will be memorable! This compelling three-piece might be 4-6 members on any given night so show up and witness the experiment unfolding.

Also this Friday 5/31 is an incredible show at Chameleon with massive local talents The Districts and The Seeds plus Philly faves Juston Stens and The Get Real Gang and Cheers Elephant. I have seen all four of these bands and they rock! You can see videos of most on my YouTube channel. The Stonewall Vessels also appear and I’m anxious to check them out.

Here’s a special shout-out to The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company for hosting great shows and serving great food and beer! Notable shows I have seen there this spring include Dirk Quinn Band, Andy Mowatt Trio and Start Making Sense: a Talking Heads tribute.

The Wayfarer Experiment

Dirk Quinn Band at Abbey Bar

I loved DQB as house band for the Tri State Indie Music Awards this year and it was fantastic to see them playing whole sets of songs vs. just between awards. Andy Mowatt is a jazz-rock flamethrower on guitar; see his trio immediately! As for Start Making Sense: holy cow! If you never got the chance to see Talking Heads or just want to relive that experience, here is your ticket. I will be rolling to The Abbey Thursday 5/30 to see The Wood Brothers if anyone loves folk and wants to join me! I just keep saying it; my season pass to Abbey Bar/Greenbelt Event shows is the best investment I make every year. And yes, six months later, I’m still mourning the passing of Mike Van Jura. Kudos to Sarah, Alec and Ben for keeping Greenbelt vibrant!

Last week’s show at Chameleon with The Slackwater News and Marco Benevento was pure pleasure-dome stuff! Most locals know Slackwater and they draw a big, fun crowd for a lot of reasons. Marco creates these sonic soundscapes that just transport your ass to another plane. If you missed the show, I have videos up but they are just a tease of the experience. See Marco. Period. He plays Abbey Bar 2-3 times a year. And cheer on The Slackwater News as they expand their play-zone to New Hope (Triumph Brewing) and State College (The Shell).

May moved the Music Friday series outdoors and Toy Soldiers was the perfect kickoff act! Stay tuned to MOOSE for complete events schedules. Keys For the City has again filled our town with beautiful, original pianos/works of art; thank you sponsors and players! Long’s Park will kickoff its summer concert series and yes, Dawes is coming back! We are truly blessed to have so many live music opportunities here in Lancaster!

Three notable album releases (besides the new Wayfarer Ex) are Lovebettie, Bumpin’ Uglies and The Great Socio. My love of Lovebettie is no secret. Bumpin Uglies are a reggae-rock band from MD who now tour nationally and are currently #5 and climbing on the iTunes reggae chart. See them and you’ll know why I love them too. The Great Socio is a nearly indescribable prog-rock band with no guitar player. When I first heard their last cd, I thought the band must have at least 6-7 members. Nope. It’s four dudes who are all-in on every song and all about getting you off! I will be rolling to see The Great Socio and PASADENA at WCL The Queen in Wilmington 6/6 and I’m looking for company. Call me and call shotgun! And if you really want a taste of the Gigspotter life, get your tickets soon for Jam at the Dam July 6th! I’ll be hosting The Gigspots Lawn Stage smack in the middle of 50 acres of beauty and 800 very happy campers!

I hope you’re not sick of year-in-review lists! 2012 flew by for me and for the Gigspots.com team! I’ll try to be brief in highlighting some of the amazing events, people and places who shared their lives with us this year.

My first shows of 2012 were Darry Miller and The Veil at The Boondocks Club and Kalob Griffin Band at Lancaster Dispensing Company. My last show of 2012 was KGB and Darry at Chameleon Club. Both bands enjoyed banner years, earned many new fans and rocked throughout the tri-state area. I predict fantastic 2013’s for both bands!

Boondocks Club is gone: victim of ASCAP strong-arming. DipCo remains the same: great food, great entertainment and all your friends are there. Chameleon Club staged some of my favorite shows of 2012 and even let me stage a show in October. I’m glad I know where it is; there isn’t even a light over the front door.

Some notable bands emerged in our scene in 2012. The Stray Birds, The Districts, Face for Radio, The Wayfarer Experiment, Glim Dropper, John and Brittany, The Great Socio, Rigby in the Box and Juston Stens and The Get Real Gang were some of our favorites. The quality, quantity and variety of music styles in our region never fail to impress but 2012 was extra special.

I lost a favorite cousin and a favorite aunt in 2012 but neither of them hit me like the sudden, unexpected death of “Jersey” Mike Van Jura. Harrisburg, the music scene and human society lost a strong advocate for right, reason and rock with his passing. We are very pleased and proud to announce that our partnership with The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company and Greenbelt Events will continue through 2013 and beyond! Yes, I bought another season pass and expect it to be the best $100 I spent in 2013 just as it was in 2012.

Tellus 360 deserves special mention as a remarkable place to see live music! Their special evenings have grown from organic, table-top, byo sessions into ticketed events. The Shovels and Rope opening night and Carsie Blanton with Joe Fletcher show were two of my favorites anywhere in 2012: intimate, raucous, unforgettable. We will be watching their plans for 2013 with eagle eyes and eager hearts!

We are very pleased to announce that both World Café Live venues (Philly and Wilmington, DE) have joined the Gigspots family! We also added The Burning Bridge Tavern in Wrightsville to our network and we’re plum crazy about the place! The food, drinks and service are fantastic and we’re very impressed with the array of live music you staged in your first year! Keep up the good work!

Thank you to all the bands who joined Gigspots in 2012; we will work hard to help you achieve your goals this year. Remember to keep your calendar updated and keep the event invitations coming! We typically must choose from 10-12 shows in the region on any given Friday or Saturday. Make sure we know about yours!